October Is For Baseball Betting!

The 2016 MLB Divisional Playoffs are almost set. In the American
League its Boston vs Cleveland and the winner of Tuesday's AL Wild
Card Game, Baltimore or Toronto, versus Texas. In the NL it's Los
Angeles taking on Washington.

The Chicago Cubs, with the best record in baseball, awaits the
winner of Wednesday's NL Wild Card Game between the New York Mets
and San Francisco. Who do I like to move on from the ALDS and NLDS and get to the ALCS and the
NLCS? Keep
reading to find out!

AL Divisional Playoffs

Boston vs Cleveland

Analysis: The Boston Red Sox go into the
postseason on a cold streak. Boston lost 5 of their last 6 regular
season games. Three of the losses were to the Yankees while the
other two were to Toronto. Boston won't have home field advantage
in their divisional playoff series against Cleveland.

Boston starts Rick Porcello in Game 1 versus Cleveland. Porcello
has a 3.31 ERA on the road. The batting average allowed is only
.219. With that being written, Porcello allows the Indians to bat
.290 against him. He's faced Cleveland batters 238 times.

Cleveland may not be able to take advantage of Porcello, or any
of Boston's pitchers during this series. The Indians had one of the
best starting rotations in baseball. Not anymore. Carlos Carrasco?
He's done with a hand issue. What about Danny Salazar? Poor Danny
has a forearm problem.

I just don't see Cleveland beating Boston 3 out of 5 times with
Trevor Bauer and Corey Kluber coming off of the DL. I'll take
Porcello and Price to win the 3 out of the 5 games that Boston
needs to move on.

Series Pick: Boston Red Sox

AL Wild Card Winner vs Texas

Analysis: Baltimore bats .230 against Texas ace
Cole Hamels. The Toronto Blue Jays bat .270 against Hamels. If
Toronto beats Baltimore on Tuesday, the Blue Jays could start J.A.
Happ against Hamels and Texas later on in the week in the first
game of this AL Divisional Playoff Series.

In a battle between Happ and Hamels, I have to go with Hamels.
These are the moments where Cole really steps it up. The reason
that I'm concentrating on Game 1 in this series is because the
winner of Game 1 in a 5-game series usually takes the series.
Hamels should be well-rested while Toronto has a tough game on
Tuesday versus the Baltimore Orioles.

If it's the Orioles versus Texas, I really like the Rangers to
get it done. The Orioles just don't have enough pitching to keep
Texas batters at bay. Neither does Toronto but Toronto has the bats
to make it a closer series. Either way, I betting that Texas will
move on.

Series Pick: Texas Rangers

NL Divisional Playoffs

Los Angeles Dodgers vs Washington

Analysis: Wow. This is going to be as tight of
a series as we're likely to see this October. Both of these teams
have excellent starting rotations and terrific bullpens.

The Dodgers' Team ERA is 3.70. Washington's Team ERA is 3.52.
The Dodgers' Team Bullpen ERA is 3.35. Washington's Team Bullpen
ERA is 3.37. Who wins in a 5-game series between two of the best
pitching teams in all of baseball?

I have to go with the Los Angeles Dodgers. Washington ace Max
Scherzer allows Dodger batters to hit .280 against him. The Dodgers
have great depth in the rotation with Clayton Kershaw, Rich Hill,
and Kenta Maeda. The Nationals bat .217 versus Kershaw. They've
only faced Rich Hill 25 times while the Nationals have never seen
Kenta Maeda.

Series Pick: Los Angeles Dodgers

NL Wild Card vs Chicago Cubs

Analysis: The Cubs are the pick because their
starting rotation is phenomenal. They also have a decent bullpen
and a great closer in Aroldis Chapman. It doesn't matter who wins
the NL Wild Card Game on Wednesday between San Francisco and the
New York Mets.

Jake Arrieta allows San Francisco to bat .198 against him. He
allows the Mets to bat .257 against him. Jon Lester allows San
Francisco to bat .190 against him. The Mets bat .245 versus Lester.
Those are Chicago's aces. Kyle Hendricks has a 1.32 ERA in home
games this season.

As a team, the Cubs' starting rotation has an ERA of 3.13.
That's tops in MLB. The Cubs' bullpen has a 3.50
ERA. But, get this, the bullpen only yields a .208 batting
average.

When it comes to hitting, Chicago is fantastic. Manager Joe
Maddon has taught the Cubs how to manufacture runs. That's how the
Cubbies won 103 games during the regular season. Chicago should
bounce San Francisco or the New York Mets in this NL Divisional
Playoff Series.